17-year-old boy gunned down: Third shooting incident in two days; all could be connected

ELYRIA -- A 17-year-old Elyria boy was gunned down in a Taft Avenue, Elyria, home yesterday afternoon. It was the third shooting incident in two days in the city and all of them could be connected.

The dead teen, Charles Howard Jr., of Floral Court, the son of a Lorain minister, was visiting at 164 Taft Ave. when he was shot. Howard died from a single gun shot that hit his heart and lungs. He was pronounced dead at EMH Regional Medical Center at 4:56 p.m., according to Deputy Coroner Stephen Evans.

The quiet Taft Avenue neighborhood was shocked by the news. A neighbor across the street from 164 Taft Ave. said she was in her kitchen when she heard a loud bang. By the time she made it to her front porch, the street was filled with police. She said she didn't know the victim.

One neighbor said she has lived in the Taft Avenue neighborhood for 30 years and this is the first time something of this magnitude has happened.

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"This is a quiet street," the neighbor said and fidgeted with her hands. "This is chaos. This is all amazing to us. I've never seen anything like this before. It scares me."

She added that there have never been complaints from that house before.

Afterward, the house was empty as the shades in one window were slightly ajar and two police officers stood on the corner of the road to field questions from neighbors.

Elyria High School Principal Darren Conley was devastated when he heard of Howard's death.

"I've talked to him dozens of times," Conley said. "As the principal, you'd think there's trouble if I'm talking to him, but I like to get to know our students and Chuckie was well-liked by them. When I heard it was him who was shot, I was speechless."

Conley said Howard would have been a junior this year, but he didn't show for classes this week, and Conley didn't know why. Classes started Monday at the high school. There will be increased security at the school today, Conley said.

"The students looked up to him, even my son," Conley said. "My son has been very distraught tonight because this is the first time he's had to deal with something like this. I'm thinking if my son is distraught, I've got 2,000 other sons and daughters who I'm going to have to comfort and soothe tomorrow (today)."

Elyria schools Superintendent Paul Rigda said there will be counselors available today for students at the high schools who knew Howard.

"He's a former student," Rigda said. "We're going to have help in hand."

Conley added that Chuckie had an awesome smile and lots of charisma. When he talked to him, Conley often told him, "Chuckie, you are a leader."

A 17-year-old boy with the same name as Howard had been taken into custody early yesterday by police after a Middle Avenue house was sprayed with bullets. Jocquez Ross, 18, had been arrested at the house Tuesday night for the shooting of Diontay Spraggins, 19, on Tuesday afternoon at a 13th Street home. Police believe the yesterday morning shooting incident was an act of retaliation, Lt. Andy Eichenlaub had said.

Spraggins was flown to Cleveland MetroHealth Medical Center, where he was treated and released. He told officers he was playing cards with friends on the front porch of the home when he heard gunshots and tried to run away, police said.

When officers went to the Middle Avenue home to arrest Ross, a 16-year-old girl living at the home refused to give officers a house key even though her mother had given them permission to enter during a phone conversation. The girl was charged with delinquency obstructing official business, while Ross was charged with felonious assault, police said.

The same Middle Avenue home was then sprayed with bullets about 1 a.m. yesterday. No one was injured during the shooting, police said.

Only a few minutes later, a group of teenage boys in dark clothing were seen running through the backyards of homes near 16th Street. When officers turned down 17th Street, four teens were seen standing in the road. Two of the boys ran south toward 18th Street, while the other two ran north toward 16th Street, police said. One of the four boys, Chris Howse, 18, was found on 17th Street and arrested for obstructing official business.

Another teen, identified as Charles Howard, 17, was spotted in a vacant lot west of 18th Street after a police dog tracked him. The boy was hiding next to a large tree in the lot, and told officers he would give up as long as they didn't let the dog bite him, police said.

He was charged with delinquency by reasons of obstructing official business and breaking curfew hours and released to his parents, the report states.